Metal replacement with lightweight materials is a major focus of the airline industry to achieve fuel economy. Short carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites possess great potential for metal replacement as they are lightweight, injection moldable and the stiffness and strength of the composites can be tuned by adjusting the carbon fiber type and loading in the composites. There are two major challenges with short carbon fiber thermoplastic composites in metal replacement applications in aircrafts. For aircraft interior application, the material must pass the flammability tests that include a vertical Bunsen burner test, a heat release test and a smoke test. Historically, the heat release test, which is also known as the OSU (Ohio State University) test, is the most difficult test to pass with the thermoplastics. Secondly, it requires a high loading of the carbon fibers in the thermoplastics to meet the stiffness and strength requirements of the load bearing parts where aluminum or other metals are currently being used. This high loading of carbon fibers causes a significant increase in melt viscosity of the composites that creates processing difficulties. The challenge lies in the manipulation of the thermoplastic composites to achieve a combination of high modulus, high stiffness and high flow while maintaining the OSU heat release compliancy.
Accordingly, there is a need for thermoplastic composites, devices thereof and methods thereof that comprise carbon fiber, wherein the thermoplastic composites have high modulus, e.g. similar or greater than the specific modulus of aluminum; high strength, e.g. strength that is similar or greater than that of die-case aluminum; high flow; and are compliant with the OSU 65/65 heat-release parameters. Such thermoplastic composites, devices comprising thermoplastic composites, and methods related thereto are described herein.